Eamon + Cliona's Idyllic Hotel Doolin Wedding

As bride Cliona's dad grew up in West Clare the area has always meant something special to her. When Cliona met Eamon and introduced him to this stunning part of Ireland, it soon became special to him too. Once engaged, Hotel Doolin in Co. Clare became the natural wedding venue choice and therein lay the setting for an epic Irish wedding party overlooking the cliffs and ocean. Pawel Bebenca was chosen to document each moment, and he did so beautifully...

Cliona and Eamon met by chance in Galway, on one of the most exciting nights of the year - New Year's Eve. Cliona remembers..."I had just moved home to Dublin after a couple of years in London, and was meeting up with old friends. Eamon was dragged to Galway by some of his mates. We met at about 2am in a nightclub off Shop Street. I think my dad put it best in his speech on the day. When he asked me after that trip if I had met anyone nice – he says I had a twinkle in my eye. And a couple of months later when I produced Eamon at home, my dad maintains he noticed the same twinkle in his eye!"

That twinkle remained and Eamon decided to propose, on a surprise trip to Madrid. Cliona tells us the details..."Eamon organised a surprise trip to Madrid for my birthday. It wasn’t until we were at the boarding gate that I knew where we were going – which I loved! Once we arrived we went up to our hotel’s rooftop to check out the view. I was looking out over the rooftops and when I turned around Eamon was down on one knee. We were both so excited we could barely speak. We spent a giddy weekend drinking cava and eating tapas in Madrid. We told our parents immediately (Eamon had already asked my dad for permission) but kept the news to ourselves other than that so we could enjoy the love bubble for the weekend."

As Cliona's dad is from Clare, and both she and Eamon adore the area, it was only fitting to marry at the wonderful Hotel Doolin, complete with a one of a kind first look overlooking the ocean with Pawel Bebenca. Cliona gushes..."We adored our time taking photos up at the Cliffs together. It’s one of our favourite places in the country and it was one of the highlights of the day."

After settling their nerves Cliona and Eamon drove to the nearby Hotel Doolin for an intimate spiritualist ceremony.

Cliona describes..."We chose a spiritualist ceremony which suited both of our beliefs, and made the day so much more personal to us. We had a sand ceremony where we mixed sand from Sandymount for Eamon and from Fanore (near my parent’s house in Ballyvaughan) for me together to represent where we both come from. We also had a Celtic hand fastening ceremony where our mothers tied scarves around our hands to help us “tie the knot”. It also meant we could include beautiful readings from Eamon’s niece Megan, and one of our dearest friends’ Philip, who read Union by Robert Fulghum."

Cliona continues..."We also had two of my stunning bridesmaids, Grainne and Susie, singing during the ceremony along with my friend Maria. Eamon’s cousin Derek played guitar while his fiancée Danielle sang us into the ceremony. We walked back out as husband and wife to "Happy Together" sung by pretty much all our guests! It was a fantastic moment. My mum, dad and friends, Evelyn and Dave, even designed our invites and stationery – including a little map of the area which we loved."

Once the I dos were said everyone embraced the sunshine and location with drinks outdoors, followed by amazing local food. Cliona and Eamon gush..."The food was so important to us and the chef at Hotel Doolin is brilliant. He even looked after Eamon’s diabetic nephew who felt left out when the ice-cream cart came out. The service was just incredible. Eamon and I both wanted our wedding to be a relaxed and happy day. Our main focus was for us to get married with huge smiles on our faces in a room filled with love, which we definitely did. Everyone talked about how the day just flowed beautifully full of belly laughs and banter."

Such stunning scenery...

The following day Cliona, Eamon and guests took a trip to Inis Oirr followed by a second day party and pig on the spit back at Hotel Doolin.

Huge congratulations to you both and thanks so much for sharing your idyllic Hotel Doolin wedding with us all! A big thank you also goes to the talented Pawel Bebenca Photography for sharing his work with us. To see more from Pawel Bebenca Photography visit www.pawelbebenca.com